Gun carriage or mounting.



A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM. GUN CARRIAGE 0R MOUNTING.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1908. 926,55 1. Patented June 29, 1909.

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' GUN CARRIAGE 0R. MOUNTING.

APPLICATION mm) 811F127, 1906. Patented June29, "1909.

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A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

GUN GARRIAGE 0R MOUNTING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1906.

Patented June 29, 1909.

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Avhich great stability is required, as V in UNITED STATES PATENT EPIC!ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUOKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER LONDON,ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VIOKERS SONS & MAXIM, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GUN CARRIAGE OR MOUNTING.

Application filed September 2'7, 1906.

rovements Relating to Gun Carriages orllountmgs, of which the followingis a speci fication.

This invention relates to gun carriages or mountings particularly thoseof the kind that are employed for short guns and in mountain-guncarriages.

Accordingflo our invention the recoiling gun-cradle comprises two longsliding pieces or skids whiclr are laterally arranged with respect tothe casing of the recoil buffer and return springs andqvhich are adaptedto slide on guides with which the said casing. is fur-. nished, thearrangement being such as to reduce the bending stresses in the cradleto.

the smallest degree. The said buffer and spring casing has a dependingpivot-pin sup ported by a traversing bar or frame provided at itsforward'part with bosses which are bored out to. fit the axle-tree. Thegun is moved laterally around the'aXis of the depending pivot-pin bymeans of traversing gear carried by the said traversing bar or frame,and is moved vertically around the axis of its trunnions by means ofelevating gear carried by the trail.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into practice we will describe the same more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gun and its mounting or carriageconstructed in accordance with our invention. Figs. '2 and 2 arerespectively a detail plan and a partial trans verse sectional elevationof the bracket by which the forward part of the gun is sup- .ported onthe skids. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the carriage ormounting drawn on a somewhat larger scale, and showing the elevatinggear and the traversing gear. Fig. 4 is a plan of the parts shown inSpecification of Letters Patent.

during the recoil.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Serial No. 336,423.

Fig. 3, with the gun and the casing of the recoil buffer and returnsprings removed and a portion of the trail broken away on one side. Fig.5 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 11 of Fig. 3.Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the recoil buffer and return springcasing; Fig. 7 is a cross section of the same taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a sectional end view as seen from the right ofFig. 6. Fig. 9 is a view showing the relative position of the parts ofthe buffer piston when in the firing position.- Fig. 10 is a view of thepiston at the commencement of the recoil movement. Fig. 11 is a view ofthe buffer of the piston Fig. 12 is a view of the piston at thecommencement of the return movement, and Fig. 13 shows the relativeposition of the parts during the return movement of the gun.

A is the gun.

B is the guncradle to which the gun is attached and with which itslides.

C is the trail.

D is the traversing bar or frame and D D are its trunnions.

E is the hand wheel of the elevating gear and F the hand wheel of thetraversing gear.

G is the buffer and return spring casing rovided with lateral guides g,g for the skids n b b of the gun-cradle B to slide upon. The said casingis supported in the traversing bar by the pivot D The gun is supportedat its breech end by sliding blocks 5 fitted to the skids b and isconnected near its forward or muzzle end to a bracket 5 also formingpart of the skids b, said bracket being so situated that it does notoverhang the end of the spring casing at any point of recoil. The skidsb are firmly connected together at intervals by cross pieces or transoms5 as well as by the aforesaid bracket 5 and by a cross-head b at therear end of the skids; to this cross-head the 'buifer cylinder g is alsofirmly connected.

The said elevating gear comprises two concentric or telescopic screws 6e of which the outer one 6 is carried by a stationary nut e mounted inan oscillatory bracket 6, and the inner one 6 is coupled at its upperend to the elevating pin a which is carried by the aforesaid traversingbar'or frame D. The outer screw 6 is revolved in the stationary nut bymeans of a bevel wheel 6 carried by a tubular shaft or boss 9 whichsurrounds the outer screw and has an internal feather a engaging with acorresponding lon itudinal groove The outer screw in the said outerscrew. and bevel wheel thus revolve together without impeding thelongitudinal moveineiit of the outer screw within the tubular shaft orboss 6 that carries the bevel wheel as is Well understood. The outerscrewtherefore acts l as a revolving nut with respect to the inner screw6 which is prevented fro ni'evolving by the elevating pin 6 withwhichi't engages at its upper end as aforesaid Motion is i111- parted tosaid bevel wheel 6 from 'a shaft E" carried by bracket con the trail,which shaft has at its outer end the hand ivhee'l E for actuating it andat its inner end a bevel pinion 'e which transmits motion to the saidbevel wheel e as hereinafter explained.

The aforesaid elevating screws and the bevel wheel a whiclrdrives themare carried by the aforesaid oscillatory bracket e which has hollowtrunnions ca-nee by appropriate pins or long bolts e projectingtransversely toward each other from opposite sides of the trail to whichthey may be connected by de tachable means. This osci'lla't o'ry bracket'5 thus permits the elevating screws 'to adapt themselves to the variousinclinations their axes assume in changing the elevation of the gun. Byreason of the oscillations of the said oscillatory bracket e? it will heobvious that the aforesaid bevel pinion 'e on theelevating shaft cannotbe arranged to gear di rectly with the bevel wheel 'e ftha't actuatesthe outer elevating scre w We therefore inter ose between said bevelpinion and bevef wheel, an idle bevel wheel a (Figs. 3 and 5) whichgears with both and is so situated that its axis of rotation iscoincident with the axis of oscillation of the said bracket e. In thismanner the various bevel wheels will always maintain their correctengagement, the inclination of their toothed peripheries converging to acommon point.

Y The traversing gear comprises a screw F which engages with aninternally threaded nut f provided with 'a prolongation f terininatingin an eye f through which passes a corresponding lug'g on the buffer andspring casing G. The nut f slides, and the screw F rotates in a box Fwhich is pivoted at F are bracket D secured to the traversing bar orframe D. The traversing screw F is provided with acolla'r F, and aninternally threaded capfF is screwed upon the outer end of the boxFa'ndthuscooperates with the outer end ofthe latter to prevent .tudinalmovement of the traversing 's'ere'w.

The box F is provided with a graduated scale F (Fig. 4) which inconjunction with 5 I l v 'liXL an index arm or imger on the buffer andspring casing G will serve to indicate the degree of traversing movementimparted to the gun by the actuation of the traversing gear.

The cylinder gr of the recoil buffer is surrounded by the return springsg which are incl'o'sed by the casing G as is well understood. The saidbuffer cylinder g is fitted with a shoulder g at its front end, by meansof which it acts as a compressor rod for the springs. At the rear end,the bufie'reylinder is in the form of a hollow screw 9 passing through asleeve nut g, which has a shoulder g to hold the springs in place on thebuffer cylinder when the gun is dismantled for transport by mules. Thesleeve-nut g is for t lie 'iu'rpose of putting the initial coin-'pression on the springs. It is secured to the aforesaid cross-head b byan interrupted screw and is prevented from turning by a spring pin 9'(Fig. 1). The holes g for filling the bui lercylind'er with liquid areat the rear end of the cylinder, thus the filling and also the. initial'coiiipres's'ion of the springs may both be effected at the breech endof the gun. The holes g are closed by means of plugsgr as. shown in Fig.4.

The piston rod oi the recoil buffer passes through a stuffing box andgland :1 at the front end of the buffer cylinder, and is secured to acap 9 which 's'crews'onto the front end of the return spring case G withan inte'rriip'ted thread, aspr'ingfca'tch g insuring that it. alwaysoecupies the same position relatively to said spring ease. The pistonconsists of three parts, ,9 9, one (9 fixed to 'or formed solid with thepiston rod, one (9 free to turn angularly'on the rod, and one. (g freeto move longitudinally against the resistance ofaspiral 'spriiig'g ""o1ithe roar. Each [of said portions has ports 9 in its cir'cuii'i'feienee,and the a'ngularl'y 'inovable party? has a projection which fits into arifled grotv'e which formed in the cylinder. When in the firingposition, the ports. in the fixed part '9 and a'ngu'larly mov'able partT9 cement, but are almost closedby the sliding part g asshown in Fig.

9. Duriiigthe recoil of the gun and cradle the liquid passes t'ln'oug'hthe ports in the fixed and angularly movable parts, and forces back thesliding part untilan opening suff ciently large for thees'cape of theliquid has been obtained. The angular'ly movable part g is also moved bythe rifled groo'vea'nd gradually closes the said'opening bysetting theports odtof'cofiicidence and thus causes :t'he bufier-pis'ton to exertresistance to the recoil movement, sueh resistanee varying with the"stability of the carriage Figs. T0

and 11. on the retiiin motion of thegun and'cradIe'after recoil,thesliding 'part g of the piston forced by its'spring'agaiiist theangularly mo'x'mbie part, which movement causes a gradual cut oil of theflow ofliq uid asthe'nd ofthereturn motion'is'heing' conipleted, thuspermitting the return of the gun without shock Figs. 12 and 13. The saidsliding part of the piston may have extra openings to facilitate theflow of the liquid past 1t.

We would here remark that we do not intend to include in our presentclaiming clauses the formation of a buffer piston with threeported-members of which one is angularly displaceable during the recoiland return movements of the gun, as we have already disclosed such anarrangement. Neither do we intend to include telescopic screw elevatinggear connected at its upper part with a traversing bar or frame and atits lower part supported in an oscillatory bracket, as such anarrangement has also previously been dis closed by us.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. In a gun carriage or mounting, the combination with therecoiling gun and the casing of the recoil buffer and return springs, ofa pair of skids arranged one on each side of said casing, guides on saidcasing for the skids to slide upon, a bracket on said skids forsupporting the gun near its forward end 1 oint of recoil, meansor/nozzle and so situated that it will not overhang the buffer and sring casing at any or connecting the reech end (if the gun to saidskids, trans verse pieces or transoms for connecting the skids together,a sliding cylinder of the buffer and spring casing, means for connectingthe skids to said sliding. cylinder, and means for supporting saidcasing in the carriage or mounting with a capability of lateral andvertical movements, substantially as described.

2. In a gun carriage or mounting, the combination with the recoiling gunand the easing of the recoil buffer and return springs, of means wherebythe said gunis supported by and adapted to recoil on said casing, atraversing bar or frame trunnioned in the carriage or mounting,telescopic elevating screws pivotally connected respectively with thesaid bar or frame and the carriage or mounting, a nut engaging with theouter one of said telescopic screws, a bevel wheel on said nut withwhich gears an idle bevel wheel concentric with the pivotal connectionof the telescopic screw with the carriage or mounting, a hand actuatedspindle mounted on the carriage, a bevel pinion at the inner end of saidspindle gearing directly with said bevel wheel, a

ivot depending from the casing of the recoil buffer and return springsand carried by the traversing bar or frame, and means for movingsaidcasing about the axis of its pivot for traversing the gun, substantiallyas described.

3. In a gun carriage or mounting, the combination with the recoiling gunand the easing of the recoil buffer and return springs, of means wherebythe said gun is supported by and adapted to recoil on said casing, atraversing bar or frame trunnioned in the carriage or mounting,telescopic elevating screws of which the inner one is pivotallyconnected by a detachable pin with the said bar or frame and the outerone is carried by an oscillatory bracket detachably connected with thecarriage or mounting, a nut carried by said oscillatory bracket andengaging with the outer screw, a bevel wheel on said nut with whichgears an idle bevel wheel concentrio with the axis of the oscillatorybracket, a hand actuated s indle mounted on the said carriage, a bevewheel at the inner end of said pinion gearing directly with said idlebevel wheel, a pivot depending from the casing of the recoil bufier andreturn springs and carried by the traversing bar or frame, and gearingfor moving said casing about the axis of its pivot for traversing thegun, substantially as described.

4:. In a gun carriage or mounting, the com- 1 bination with the recoihnggun and the easing of the recoil buffer and return springs, of meanswhereby the said gun is supported by and adapted to recoil on saidcasing, means for supporting said casing with a capability of lateraland vertical movements in the carriage or mounting, a sliding cylinderfor the buffer and spring casing, a hollow screw attached within therear end of the said sliding cylinder, return springs mounted upon saidcylinder, a sleeve nut mounted on said hollow screw and adapted to beadjusted thereon for exerting the initial compression on the returnsprings, means for detachably connecting said sleeve nut with the gun, ashoulder upon the sleeve nut against which the return springs abut atthe rear, and means for preventing longitudinal movement of saidshoulder substantially as described.

In testimony whereof wehave hereunto set our hands in resence of twosubscribing witnesses this e eventh day of September ARTHUR TREVORDAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. IVitnesses:

HENRY KING, ALFRED PEAKS.

